


From Wonderland to Wonder

by CavannaRose



Series: Alice Beyond the Rabbit Hole [2]
Category: Alice In Wonderland - Lewis Carroll, The Legend of Tarzan (2016)
Genre: Crossover, Dark and Cutesy, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-21
Updated: 2016-07-21
Packaged: 2018-07-25 22:13:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 648
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7549276
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CavannaRose/pseuds/CavannaRose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alice Liddell has left Wonderland, but worried for her sanity her parents have taken her on safari to the Congo. Those she encounters there are not so harmless as they seem.</p>
            </blockquote>





	From Wonderland to Wonder

She no longer woke screaming about the Red Queen.

It had taken awhile, but she had done as her parents had wanted, talking to the nice doctor. He'd been very discreet, but then again Papa had paid him well for that discretion. The Liddel's may not be much more than minor gentry, but the merest whisper of a taint such as madness could send all their hopes and dreams to ruin. Not that they were social climbers, but they had hopes for their daughter's future... or at least they had once.

She was not a stupid girl, whether or not her sanity was being called into question or not. If they were going to insist the things she had seen were not real, that was a story she could live with. Anything to free her from the grubby hands of the so-called doctor. She smiled and played along, agreeing that it was all a hysterical delusion caused by the damp and cold of the London air.

The doctor had suggested that perhaps a warmer climate would aid Alice in remaining more... Balanced. That was his polite word. Balanced. It suggested she was simply off-kilter, rather than insane, wouldn't want to upset the aristocrats after all.

Papa and Maman had discussed it, and things suddenly took off in a hurry. Before you could say Jabberwocky the household was packed and making the long... very long journey overseas. They had debated the colonies in India, but mother had a fascination with the zebra, so they headed halfway around the world to the Congo.

The boat ride was interminably long. Boring. Crowded. Every one smelled unpleasant, and the food left much to be desired, but Alice faced it all with a cheery smile, attempting to make the best of things for her parent's sake. She had been given a book on the Congo by a friend of her father's, and could often be found on the deck, sitting on bundled ropes somewhere out of the way and devouring the pages. It was a fascinating place, almost as strange as Wonderland had been... Perhaps there she would feel at home again.

After what seemed like years, they finally were within a day of docking. Papa paid the men to haul up and heat enough water so she and Maman could bathe, and they took their third finest travelling outfits from their chests, airing them out and shaking the wrinkles free. Maman said only the third finest, because they did not wish to seem like they were putting on airs.

Alice didn't mind though. Hers was a soft lavender linen, with lovely gold detailing at the hems. She smiled, too brightly for a proper English lady, more like the grins the sailor's gave when the Captain permitted rum after supper. It took an age for the bustle to be settled just to Maman's preferences, and the ship had been unloading for ages by the time Alice finally slipped free of the cabin. She ran to the side rail, even her short-trimmed hair escaping from it's pins to curl against her cheeks in the humidity.

The wind picked up, blowing her wide-brimmed hat from her head. She let out a joyous laugh as it floated away across the dock. Lifting her skirts to reveal the finely polished boots beneath, she gave chase to the wayward headgear, the admonishments from Maman echoing uselessly behind her. She wasn't behaving the least like a lady, but she was going ashore!

Her heels clicked cheerily across the gangplank and she was quickly lost amidst the bustle on the docks. She ducked in and around porters, attempting to keep to the direction she had last seen her hat. There, she could almost make it out on the ground up ahead. Laughing once more at the thrill of it all, she darted around a cart to reclaim her lost prize.


End file.
